For more than 25 years, BOC has been a leader in the O&P industry, staying up to date with ongoing changes in a technology-rich field and encouraging practitioners to earn the credentials that demonstrate their skills, abilities and commitment to patient care. Daily interactions with practitioners, DMEPOS-accrediting organizations, third party payers, regulators, other healthcare professionals, and patients, enable us to fulfill this commitment.

As the nation’s economic and political landscape changes, and as the impacts of Congress’s healthcare reform legislation become clearer, it is realistic to expect that new challenges will affect our industry.

BOC is in the early stages of strategic planning to anticipate and prepare for such challenges. Part of the plan is to build alliances with organizations focused on our shared commitment to patient care. Working together, content experts can stay abreast of issues in the political and legal environment so that we can help equip practitioners to meet the needs of their patients and other members of the healthcare team. Our efforts to date are detailed below:

• BOC is committed to promoting O&P, inclusive of all of our certification programs, within the healthcare community. We are proud to collaborate with other industry groups and institutions as advocates of O&P to healthcare team members, governmental stakeholders, patients, and the public at large.

• We work with insurance companies and CMS/Medicare to help our practitioners meet third party payer expectations.

• We actively participate in state licensure discussions across the country. Like other major players in the O&P industry, we support licensure that incorporates certification as a requirement.

• We salute the leading role initiated by the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association in the effort to demand licensure on behalf of safety and security in our healthcare system, and we are proud to join with AOPA in testifying before state and federal legislators considering licensure issues. For information about current licensure laws and bills state-by-state, we encourage certificants to visit the AOPA licensure site.

State Licensure

The BOC Board of Directors recently approved a model licensure act, available for use in creating state licensure bills.

• Read the press release, "BOC Offers Model State Licensure Act."

• Download the BOC Model Licensure Act in Word document (.doc) format.

• Download the BOC Model Licensure Act in Adobe Reader (PDF) format.

FAQs

How does licensure affect me?

What’s BOC doing about licensure?

How can I get involved as a practitioner?

How does licensure affect me?

Licensure is being implemented on a state-by-state basis as legislatures become aware of the need to implement standards for O&P practitioners. Right now, certification is seen by some as a requirement for Medicare reimbursement, a requirement by an employer, or a quick and certain way to demonstrate a practitioner’s commitment to providing quality patient care. But in states without licensure, people who don’t meet those requirements can treat patients – putting practitioner reputations at risk. Certification – and licensure that demands it – is the surest way of protecting practitioners and their right to practice.

As state licensure discussions develop, legislators seek standards to implement. At BOC, we stand for licensure laws that incorporate current industry standards, which is how BOC certification prerequisites are set. Many states that have incorporated O&P licensure recognize that the requirements of certification ensure effective patient quality standards. However, there are states that do not incorporate certification standards into their licensure requirements and are developing their own standards. And in some cases, state licensure boards do not recognize certification, forcing practitioners to meet a new set of requirements, even if they have been certified for many years. Using certification as a licensure requirement would give patients a universal method of judging a practitioner’s qualifications – which means that patients and their families can understand practitioner qualifications even if they live in different states.

What’s BOC doing about licensure?

BOC is monitoring the progress of state developments regarding licensure, and we work to actively participate in the discussions. BOC’s educational and work requirements are critical elements of quality patient care. Our requirements are based on detailed analyses in each field of practice, and those analyses form the basis of our education and experience prerequisites to certification, and our examinations. We are confident that our programs require what is necessary to protect patients and to ensure that our practitioners can provide quality care, which is why BOC believes certification should be incorporated into licensure bills.

How can I get involved as a practitioner?

We work hard to make sure the voices of our practitioners are heard, but we cannot do it without you. Ultimately, it is your actions that will affect the decisions of your state representatives. We are here to support you in your efforts, from providing form letters for you and your colleagues to contact state legislative committee chairs on your behalf.

Contact your state representative to make sure that your BOC certification is included as a requirement for licensure. You can find contact information for your state representative by visiting the State Legislative Website Directory.

Beyond working with BOC, you can also contact your state O&P Association and get involved. Visit AOPA’s Government Relations contact page. Select your state to view O&P associations or local O&P contacts advocating on your behalf.